Demand for dentists could grow as people age, live longer

Dental surgeon Dr. Anthony Seminara poses for a photograph at his practice in Montreal West in Montreal on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

Photograph by: Dario Ayala
, Postmedia News

Dr. Anthony Seminara says he has no trouble carrying on a conversation with his patients even when they’re sporting a mouthful of dental supplies.

“Believe it or not, we understand pretty well what you’re talking about,” the 32-year-old dental surgeon says with a chuckle. “It’s an acquired skill.”

Understanding his patients is important to Seminara and his ability to speak English, French and Italian is a considerable advantage on that score. He has been practising full-time at Montreal’s Dr. John Drummond & Dr. Anthony Seminara Family & Cosmetic Dentistry since 2010.

“If you can imagine, I see 10, 15 patients a day. So you talk to them, you get to know people over the years. To me that’s the most interesting part of the job, the chemistry itself. ... You have to like people. The people coming in not only want to talk, but they want to be reassured that they’ll be OK.”

“You have to like the idea of being involved in health care, working with people in a difficult, vulnerable position and helping them,” says Allison. “You have to have a strong interest in health, disease, the body and how the body works and interest in the person.”

Seminara, a native of Montreal, graduated from McGill with a bachelor of science in bio-chemistry in 2006 and then completed an advanced general residency program at the University of North Carolina. He returned to Montreal and joined his current practice as a part-time associate in 2007.

Anyone hoping to become a dentist today will find it a challenge even to get into the classroom. McGill, for instance, turns aside nine of every 10 applicants.

“There’s a very high demand to get a position,” Allison says. The good news, he adds, is those who are accepted are all but assured of getting a job when they graduate.

“I know of very, very few dentists who would like to be working and are not. There might be some who might not working where they want to be. They might be working in one part of town and want to be working in a different part, but they’re working.”

Seminara says the demand will only increase as baby boomers retire in larger numbers.

“This opens up great potential for any new grads,” Seminara says. “Also, with people living longer and in better health, and more people wanting to keep their teeth into old age as well as being comfortable enough financially to afford good dental care, I really feel the next few years grads have a great opportunity.

“Another interesting reason why becoming a dentist is great is that it’s a very portable degree. With a Canadian dental degree, you can easily work anywhere in the world with only the addition of local licensing exams.

“I have friends all over the United States and internationally, as well as in Canada. Not many professionals are so lucky.”

With a degree in hand, Seminara says, most new dentists will work as an associate with an established dentist for a number of years, both to advance their clinical and professional development and to set money aside for future ambitions. In time, they might partner with the senior dentist, buy the practice or use their savings to go out on their own. He says a “simple startup office” today could cost somewhere between $150,000 to $200,000 to set up, depending on local rents and staff costs.

Edmonton’s Dr. Michael Lee, a 37-year veteran of the profession, was a doctoral student in physiology before turning to dentistry when the government began to take a sharp axe to university research funding. He has no regrets about his ultimate career choice. His advice to anyone thinking of entering the profession today is that they do so for the right reasons.

“For an individual with the right motivation and temperament, dentistry is an excellent profession,” he says, “because it still pays well if one works hard and it provides real service to society. However, if monetary reward is the only incentive, then a lot of other occupations would be more suitable.”

Dental surgeon Dr. Anthony Seminara poses for a photograph at his practice in Montreal West in Montreal on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

Photograph by: Dario Ayala, Postmedia News

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